Tech women visit New Mexico looking to improve work on glass

Lady Raiders were outrebounded 40-27 in win against Arizona State

There were plenty of questions when Texas Tech women’s basketball announced center Shauntal Nobles would miss part of the season with an illness.

Questions of who would step up in the post and how the Lady Raiders would respond.

After one game — a 61-49 point win against Arizona State on Sunday — there are still plenty of questions.

However, there are also some answers.

The rotation of converted guard Christine Hyde into the four spot, swapping in for a slimmer Kelsi Baker, was one of the key factors in the win.

Hyde scored 10 points, mostly in the paint against taller competition, and also led the team with six rebounds.

“At the four I’m a little bit more hesitant,” Hyde said earlier this week, “but I feel like as the game progressed I became more comfortable in my role, and I think I’m at that point where I’m embracing it and going to do the best that I can in that position until they need something else.”

Hyde and the Lady Raiders (1-0) hope to build off their opening-season win with a 8 p.m. match today against New Mexico (1-0) in Albuquerque, N.M.

Hyde has played in the post in practice and also in some game situations, she said, so the position isn’t too foreign for her, but since Nobles’ injury, there has more emphasis on Hyde in the four.

Tech coach Kristy Curry said Hyde has some four tendencies, even though the senior is classified as a guard.

“She does great job on the glass,” Curry said. “She’s a match-up problem at the four, so it really gives us (an option) with Shauntal being out. I appreciate her willingness to the team in doing what she needs to do.”

Although Hyde does have a strength on the glass, she shouldn’t always be the team’s top rebounder — not with six boards at least.

Baker and newcomer Jackie Patterson combined for six rebounds in 52 minutes, which Curry was not pleased with.

“I don’t think that six rebounds between Kelsi and Jackie are acceptable,” Curry said, “but — not to sound negative, I think they’re definitely trying — but we got to rebound the basketball. We’ve got to have them step up on the glass and do a better job than what we did on Sunday.”

The Lady Raiders were outrebounded 40-27 and gave up several inches of size in the post.

At 6-foot-1, Patterson was the tallest Lady Raider starter. Patterson, who scored 12 points in her Tech debut, said she hopes to carry over the success the Lady Raiders had against the Sun Devils into today’s game.

“We worked hard so we can keep carrying over to the next game,” she said, but I think I need to do a lot better on rebounding.”